Blowing Dandelions

Blowing dandelions is one of my favorite things to do during the spring and summer.  There is something magical about taking a deep breath and scattering seeds attached white fluff.  Who knows where the wind will take them, or what will become of them.  Despite being reprimanded by my farmer parents who know the dangers of spreading weeds, I still occasionally cannot resist the temptation to scatter the seeds in the wind.  In fact, I have even taught my daughter the simple joy of blowing dandelions.

The other day, I babysat a cute little three-year old boy.  We took a romp through our neighborhood filled with twenty-story apartment buildings. In the midst of our urban surroundings, we discovered some fluffy white dandelions, and I couldn't resist teaching him the joy of blowing dandelion seeds.

The simple joy of blowing dandelions makes me think of passages from Psalm 1, Jeremiah 17, and Matthew 13 and makes me consider what kind of soil the seeds will fall upon.

Jeremiah 17
 ⁵ This is what the Lord says:

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
    who draws strength from mere flesh
    and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
⁶ That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
    they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
    in a salt land where no one lives.

⁷ “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
⁸ They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”

Matthew 13
¹⁸ “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰ The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ²² The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²³ But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”


It also makes me hope that you are able to take a few minutes to enjoy the simple things in God's creation like blowing dandelions and hunting for ants.